Janice Emily Bowers writes from the heart, taking an unflinching look at nature - and herself - reflected in the ecology of Arizona: desert, mountains, peaks and canyons. I felt that I was right along with her on these explorations, and I highly recommend this book for those who enjoy outer - and inner - exploration.

A wonderful tome by Janice Emily Bowers. These essays combine gardening, ecology and self reflection with a wonderful use of vocabulary. Thoroughly enjoyable; definitely not a one-read book!

I received this book as a Christmas gift from my father-in-law, who very conscientiously purchased the book from a locally-owned, independent bookseller. What a delightful book it is! My husband and I read it together, and we very much enjoyed every page. Bowers writes beautifully, fluidly and with wonderfully astute scientific insight. It is always a pleasure to read the writings of a scientist so inspired by her work that she shares her passion with laypeople; scientific passion is nothing less than infectious, regardless of the discipline. Bowers' essays are accessible, insightful prose that leave the reader hungry for more. A pure delight to read.

This book just shows how spectacular a desert can look with the magnificent photos around the Mojave desert and Death valley of emptiness, stark flowers and blooms and just superb landscapes. It'll give you some inspiration to find something to look for even in a desert.

I know I will as I will be going to Ayer's Rock (Uluru) in Australia in a few months and it's also a big desert!

This book is a beauty, some of the most beautiful photographs I have ever seen.

I spent the first week of September in southern California this year, and on Sunday before Labor Day I drove from Los Angeles up to Death Valley. I hadn't been there since I was a child and I have to say although it is a desolate and lonely place (and 114 degrees at Furnace Creek the day I was there) it is also one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen. The sand dunes at Mesquite Flat alone are worth the trip.

Everyone should see it, but if you can't buy the book. My copy came shrinkwrapped in plastic which I really like, the last thing you want is to buy a nice book like this in a bookstore where someone has spilled coffee on the pages.

There is a knock at my door and here is the UPS man delivering my order from Amazon.com. Among the books: Desert, The Mojave and Death Valley Photographs by Jack Dykinga, text by Janice Emily Bowers. I barely had time to read more than a page or two of the text before it made me want to go straight to the photos to see the place she was clearly, and intelligently writing about. And I was not disappointed: It was overwhelmed with joy of at being able to share the keeness of Mr. Dykinga's fine and perceptive photographic vision of that place. This is a more subtle body of work than the previous books based around his photographs.

The Sonoran Desert had a similar effect on me years ago and expanded my sense of what ilandscape photography could be. Stone Canyons did not have as great of affect on me as the first book

More than anything else, the images in this book remind me why the large format camera is such a tremendous aid to seeing something more clearly and perceptively than you can with the naked eye. even more so than a 35mm or medium format or easily portable digital gear can. Some of the photos even have a sense of humor to them and when did you last see that in a photograph of a natural landscape? The reproduction of the images appears to be first rate and the design and typography of the book match its contents in quality.

In short there are wonderful things to be found in this book.